


Hurricane

by queenspacegay



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Codependency, Dennis Comes Back, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sad mac, charlie being a good friend, dennis is a bastard man, post s12
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 05:19:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15857001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenspacegay/pseuds/queenspacegay
Summary: If Dennis was a hurricane his sudden absence should have been a relief, but instead it felt like Mac had been standing at the very edge of a cliff and the wind he thought he’d been battling against for years had in fact been holding him up. Now it was gone he was left teetering, suddenly he couldn’t quite remember how to balance by himself. His stomach had already dropped but he hadn’t quite toppled over the edge yet.Dennis leaves, Mac is sad. The gang has poor coping mechanisms.





	Hurricane

The first night, Mac sleeps alone in Dennis’ empty bed, the cold mattress stretches out for miles to his right. He should enjoy finally sleeping alone - it’s not like he misses Dee and Old Black Man - but Dennis’ familiar room doesn’t even smell like him. Mac had rebuilt the room from the ground up and it’s almost identical, but everything is just slightly off, mocking Mac in his loneliness, amplifying the noise that is the lack of Dennis. Mandy is the only person to have ever slept in this bed and the thought claws away at his insides. 

Dennis’ sheets don’t smell like him. His real sheets were stolen by the fire these were the replacements Mac had bought for him, trying to match the exact shade Dennis had picked out years ago. These sheets weren’t nearly as faded and were stiff and cold, Mac had washed them but he still swore they smelt like Mandy. Rationally he didn’t dislike Mandy, he’d been prepared to raise her child alongside Dennis after all, but a small part of his brain couldn’t help but hate her for taking Dennis away.

Mac drinks a bottle of tequila and sleeps on the couch. 

His stiff neck can’t quite convince him it was a bad decision come morning. 

It’s not like he’s never been separated from Dennis before, Dennis has kicked him out of the apartment multiple times over the years. There was that time they “took a break” from each other, and the two-day long period he was married to Maureen before Dennis joined him living at the bar. The time Mac faked his own death didn’t really count but felt like it did since Dennis had found a new roommate immediately, which he’d admit had stung a little at the time. That had always been so temporary though, even when Dennis had married someone else they’d both known it would never last, nothing could separate them for good. 

This felt different though. Every time they’d taken a temporary break from living together they’d still seen each other every day at the bar. It had been years since Mac had gone more than a day without seeing Dennis. Even longer since they’d done so without checking in. 

Dennis hadn’t even said goodbye, just grabbed his stuff and vanished completely. Separate entirely, he’d taught Mac. Well he’d sure done that. 

Mac wasn’t some teenage girl though, he wasn’t going to lie around pining and writing a sappy diary. When Dennis had kicked him out and he’d gone to live with Charlie, Mac had felt out of control so to compensate he’d controlled his environment by tidying Charlie’s pigsty of an apartment. Mac and Dennis’ apartment was spotless though, they’d only existed in this space for a day, with Mandy’s presence stifling any ruckus behaviour that would have caused a mess. 

The flat was a soulless imitation of the home they’d once shared. 

Mac smashed a plate. 

The burst of endorphins made him feel good for a second. Dennis wasn’t here to calm him down or yell at him to stop. Dennis didn’t care. Mac broke another plate. And another. Soon the kitchen floor was a ceramic mosaic crunching under foot. 

Mac didn’t linger to take in his handiwork and slammed out of the apartment without a second glance.

Mac had always known Dennis was a storm, but in recent years the storm had been building and, almost without Mac noticing, he had become a hurricane, unstable and volatile. Maybe Mac had noticed but simply elected to ignore it. Dennis had still been his, after all.

If Dennis was a hurricane his sudden absence should have been a relief, but instead it felt like Mac had been standing at the very edge of a cliff and the wind he thought he’d been battling against for years had in fact been holding him up. Now it was gone he was left teetering, suddenly he couldn’t quite remember how to balance by himself. His stomach had already dropped but he hadn’t quite toppled over the edge yet.

It’s normal, he guesses, to feel off balance when the person you’ve been living with for twenty years suddenly removes themselves from your life without warning. That rational thought doesn’t stop the dull ache deep in his chest though.

 

* * *

  

Mac stormed into the bar and immediately lined up seven shots, slamming them back in quick succession and relishing the burn in his throat. The bar was mostly empty since it was still early afternoon. Frank strolled out of the men’s toilet with no pants on, just his grubby boxer shorts, followed by a ranting Charlie.

“Dude you gotta stop flushing your clothes you’re just making more Charlie work. How does that even make you feel in control can’t you just drink like the rest of us?”

Dee was nursing a beer and watching Mac with an expression he couldn’t quite place.

“You look like shit,” She sneered, “Missing your snuggle buddy?”

And this was how Dee takes control, she’s awfully like Dennis in that sense; the second she feels insecure she’ll lash out, hoping to hurt you before she can get hurt.

“Shut up Dee, you look like a bird,” There was malice behind the words but it wasn’t really directed at Dee, and as such glanced off her to ricochet around his skull instead, pressure building in his jaw, aching to be released.

“Yeah well you’re moping like a high school girl whose boyfriend just dumped her after a week,”

“YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU DUMB BITCH I WILL TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT,” Mac roared, anger that had been bubbling under the surface exploding out of his every pore. He lashed over the bar at Dee, trying to grab her and take his anger out that way but then he was being dragged backwards away from her.

“Hey! Hey, calm down,” Charlie said in what he probably thought was a soothing voice, looping his grubby hand round the back of Mac’s neck and touching his chest with the other. Mach jerked away from the touch instinctively, shoving Charlie away from him.

“What the fuck dude, what are you doing?” He snarled.

“Oh, it’s what Dennis does to calm you down and I figured, you know, since he’s not here and all,” Charlie trailed off.

“No he doesn’t,” He said defensively, “and you’re not Dennis so you don’t get to just… whatever shut up.” He grabbed the bottle of tequila and slammed into the back office.

No one tries to bother him for the rest of the day, even when he reemerges from the office to piss and grab more booze they just watch him without comment. He hates the way they're watching him.

The bar is unnaturally quiet, the other three unsure how to work around each other through the awkwardness so no one really talks. Mac wasn't sure if this was better than the alternative of lashing out at each other, maybe at least then he'd feel like he was doing something. But he wasn't sure he had the fight left in him to do anything, so he just drank, eventually relocating from the office to the end of the bar so he can switch to beer and almost immediately regretting the decision when the gang spend the rest of the day tiptoeing around him.

 

* * *

 

Mac and Charlie lock up that night. Dee went home hours ago and Frank is god knows where so the task falls to them. Of course, instead of packing down and cashing up, they’ve been drinking themselves stupid.

“D’you really think he hated me?” Mac slurred, eyes locked on a small puddle of something sticky on the bar he was prodding with a straw.

“What? Dude no, I know like he said he hated you but that was more in the way the Waitress says she hates me.”

“But the Waitress does hate you,”

“Nah man she’s just playing hard to get,”

“So you think Dennis was playing hard to get?”

“I cannot even begin to unravel the mystery of your and Dennis’ relationship buddy,” Charlie said, drinking heavily like that was that. Mac glared at his whiskey.

“Do you think he’s coming back?”

Charlie strung some vowels together that was loosely translated into “I dunno.”  
“Do you want him to come back?”

Mac sighed and drank deeply before answering.

“I dunno man, I miss him and m’ chest hurts an’ the apartment’s too big and quiet I don’t like it but…he was a dick, man. An absolute asshole. Good riddance, ya know?”

Charlie just looked at him with a sad expression.

“Sometimes things were his fault not mine and it’d be nice to get recognition for my ideas without him trying to overrule me at the arbitration process.” Mac rambled, “I mean, yeah we were blood brothers, but what kind of blood brother just walks out on the other after twenty years?”

Mac’s throat feels tight for some reason. He grabs another shot of tequila and slams it back. He’s definitely at least brown-out drunk at this point. He remembers Dennis’ glee at the new phrase when Mac had taught it to him, and his chest hurts again.

“He’s such a fucking asshole,” He slurs, voice cracking slightly.

“Yeah he was, buddy,” Charlie says, pulling Mac gently to his chest and holding him there, rubbing soothing circles into his back.

Mac doesn’t cry, he’s far too badass for that, he’s just too drunk and his body’s trying to get rid of the excess alcohol.

 

* * *

 

Usually Charlie would leave Mac to walk home by himself if Dennis wasn’t there to drive him, but he’d been drinking heavily since the night before, which was impressive for any of them, so Charlie actually called him a taxi, stealing money out the register to pay for it.

“C’mon let’s get you home buddy,”

“S’not home,” Mac slurred, shaking his head in a way that made the whole room spin.

“Well you can’t sleep in the bar,”

“Can,” Mac said petulantly. Charlie rolled his eyes and dragged Mac’s arm over his shoulder to pull him outside to the waiting cab.

Charlie rode back to the flat with Mac rather than just throwing him in the taxi and calling it a night, which showed how concerned he was for his friend. Every jolt of the car made Mac hyperaware of his stomach full of alcohol, they only just manage to pull up in front of the apartment for Mac to kick the door open and vomit over the edge of the seat onto the pavement.

He vaguely heard Charlie apologizing to the driver then try to argue that none of the vomit had touched the inside of the car (it did) so they shouldn’t have to pay the fine (they do). Mac doesn’t listen, still leaning over the edge of the seat, squeezing his eyes shut against the sting of tears and trying not to be sick again.

Eventually Charlie came around and pulled him out of the car and they make it to the apartment. He didn’t comment on the shattered plates Mac had forgotten about and waited patiently while he cleaned himself up clumsily in the bathroom.

“Okay let’s get you to bed,” He said once he was done.

Mac shook his head, causing another wave of nausea to pass through him.

“Mac come on,” Charlie says, attempting to pull him towards his bedroom.

“’S no bed in that one,” Mac protested.

“Oh, there’s one in Dennis’ though right?”

Mac made a small noise of affirmation, looking down at his hands.

“Well just sleep in that one,”

Mac still doesn’t look up.

“Dude c’mon you’ve gotta go to bed you look like shit,” Charlie pleads.

“We slept together when we were at Dee’s y’know? I don’t know why it was any different here. Why’d he have such a problem, he’s such- such an asshole. Says he hates m- I did everything for him! Didn’t even say goodbye,” Mac said, voice thick. Charlie looked even more concerned but just took his arm and gently guided him to the sofa.

“Here you go,” He said, grabbing cushions and blankets. “Try not to choke on your own puke please.”

He pushed Mac gently down and wrapped the blanket around him. Mac reached out and grabbed Charlie’s hand as he went to leave.

“You’re m’ best friend, y’know that right? Me n’ Dennis were blood brothers, but you actually care about me, right?” Mac’s eyes were watery and his voice cracked slightly. He sounded so uncertain and lost it broke Charlie’s heart a little.

“Of course I care about you, buddy. We’re best friends, and better off without him. Get some sleep okay?”

Mac mumbled something to himself and burrowed down into the blanket. He heard the door quietly click shut.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not super happy with this but it's been bouncing round in my brain for a while, I wanted to look at the immediate aftermath because the show will probably skip forwards a bit. They all have different and shitty coping mechanisms which I wanted to play with as well as Mac and Charlie's friendship which is honestly the most wholesome thing in the show and has been severely lacking in the last few seasons. Next chapter will be Dennis pov!


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